It does not make me laugh. I'm very careful about bundled crapware, but I was caught today. It makes me think that our Western economies have come very low, on a moral and financial point of view, if companies like Adobe must use such rogue processes in order to make some more money.

How hard can it be? no one want the crap you include simple as that, after 2 YEARS you guys should get it. Also the crap is a mallware, i had to re-install windows to remove it, a normal uninstall didnt work.

Thanks for your efforts, Chris and for listening. This really is unacceptable. I declined the install yesterday just to find that somehow McAfee is running on my machine this morning. I hope your comments are heeded by the team.

I just upgraded adobe, and it decided to install Mcafee. The installer didn't ask me. I did not intend to install Mcafee. I did not want to. I uninstalled it right away. I do NOT want things installed that I do not explicitly request.

"I just upgraded adobe, and it decided to install Mcafee. The installer didn't ask me. I did not intend to install Mcafee. I did not want to. I uninstalled it right away. I do NOT want things installed that I do not explicitly request.

Color me outraged."

The same here. WTF are they thinking about? Yes I know. Money:-)

I just wanna tell what happened when I uninstalled the McAfee crap via Win>Programs>Uninstall.

It looks like the uninstaller also un-installed some of the Flash install.

I've read nearly every message in this two year old thread, and despite what the very occasional employee post says, it's obvious that Adobe does NOT care about the small percentage of users who actually complain about this (I really can't call it any different) TROJAN that Adobe is pushing onto it's customers. It's obvious from the length of time this has been going on, the very occational response from Adobe, and the tone that they occasionally use, that they are aware that it is making people furious, that only a fraction of those furious people actually complain about it, but that an executive decision has been made that the income received from McAfee overwhelms the negatives stemming from lost customers, or the the frustration, anger and outrage of those that decide to stay with Adobe.

These sort of morally corrupt practices are why every time I check my mother's computer there's some useless new software / toolbars installed on it that I need to remove. "I don't know how they get there," she always says, and those companies are scammers and criminals in my opinion. No better than the sellers of potions and snake-oil in our past.

And Adobe and McAfee boned me last night too. Installing McAfee Security Scan Pluswithout even giving me a chance to opt-out. (And even THAT is a shady practice. Opt-InistheonlyLEGITIMATEpolicy. Opt-Out policies depend on tricking, fooling, or distracting users in the hopes that they won't notice a check mark next to "Install Software that we can't get people to agree to install in any other fashion". Otherwise, why not just tell the user about the optional software and depend on the fact that it's compelling or useful enough for users who might benefit from it will check "Please Download X" of their own volition. Doing any different is just like the intentionally confusing worded opt-out options like "I agree that I don't not want X software to not be installed in conjunction with Software Y so that I can enjoy a user experience that is enhanced and protected".)

And the thing is that I'd been ignoring the Adobe's nagware Reader begging to update for over a year, because I was sick and tired of installing ANOTHER update for the damn thing nearly every time I rebooted the computer. But, I decided to let it update last night. And boy am I ever sorry. I'm not even really sure why I did it. I didn't need it, I only use Reader a few times a month and rarely have any trouble viewing documents. (Usually manuals or resumes and the occasional eBook) I don't care if it doesn't display a newer document perfectly, as long as I get the information I need. In fact, there is really no legitimate reason to update Reader very much past it's original standards. What's REALLY changed in document markup over, say, the last five years?

And what does McAfee Security Scan Plus have to do with Adobe Reader anyway? Bundled software should ONLY be offered when it is somehow related to the software the user is installing/updating. Are you telling us that Reader is such a security risk, that systems with it installed are so much more vulnerable to viruses, trojans and other forms of digital attack, that an extra line of defense is required to compensate?

I now consider Adobe products to be Malware since you have a policy of "Assume-In", just like the rest of malware-dom.

I've been using, programming, building, supporting, break-fixing, etc. computers for the past 37 years, and have been a loyal user of Reader and Creator since it first came out, but you've finally convinced me to stop using Adobe products altogether.

X? Gone.

Dreamweaver? Gone.

Photoshop? Gone.

Design Premium? Gone.

Flash Builder? Gone.

Media Player? Gone.

Digital Additions? Gone.

Pagemaker? Gone.

Illustrator? Gone.

There are other products, and I will use them. And I know you won't care, that you're policies won't change because the formula you used to reach your decision hasn't changed. That you consider my loss as nothing more than the cost of doing business, and that you hold those that complain about this in the highest contempt. And that I'm just one rather small fish in a huge sea. But I still get the satisfaction telling you, "You Suck!", and "It's OVER!", and slamming the door in your face on the way out.

I already put my tuppence into this discussion, but thought I'd tell everybody that there IS a way out.

If you use the Google Chrome browser, you can view Flash videos (like YouTube), WITHOUT having the Flash player installed.

You can read .pdf files with several free products that don't bother you for updates every time you start your computer, and don't install malware/scareware/spamware/scamware in the background. I use FoxIt reader, myself.

You can download the FREE Libre Office suite, and open unlocked .pdf files for editing, or export your documents in .pdf format. Plus be fully compatible with Microsoft Office documents, if you want to break out of that world a little bit, too.

In short, you can go into your computer's Control Panel, choose "Add/Remove Software" or "Programs and Features," and uninstall everything that says "Adobe" on it. Except for the small inconvenience of having to choose the Chrome browser whenever you want to view Flash video, you need never notice that Adobe is gone off your system.

Lets be clear: McAfee installation is NOT optional: Installation is enabled by default. What IS optional is to take the specific action and opt OUT of the installation.

I think the three questions that are properly relevant are:

Why is unrelated and unnecessary software being distributed with Flash player in the first place?

Why is its installation enabled by default?

Why is the software so awful that it has to be distributed in this way, rather than it being simply offered as a truly optional opt-IN addtion or, even better, simply offered separately on its OWN merit

Chris. that only answers the first of those quesitons, which is that Adobe foists this rubbish on its users because gets a kickback for every instance of the parasiteware that is installed.

You also make the obvious oint that one can take specific action to avoid the malware.

What your reply does not say is:

Why is its installation enabled by default?

Why is the software so awful that it has to be distributed in this way, rather than it being simply offered as a truly optional opt-IN addtion or, even better, simply offered separately on its OWN merit

I can't agree more strongly with your post. Like you, I'm continually having to remove BHO's and other malware from my mother's PC and ALL of it has been either inadvertently installed or worse, deliberately and sneakily installed, by Adobe updates.

I've had quite enough of this rubbish being foisted upon as so I've taken the same decision as you...every Adobe program has been uninstalled from her PC, my personal PC's, and all the work PC's for which I'm responsible.

I'm also pursuing this via the European Commission who, for once, are at the forefront of making it a legal requirement for consumers to opt-IN to receive bundled crapware. If they can hit Microsoft with a multi-billion dollar fine for bundling IE with their OS, they're going to have a field day with Adobe's underhand practices.

Thank you this is inspiring. I HATE Adobe so much, I think the only real thing that holds me to them is Lightroom, but I am looking at alternatives.

IMHO if a company as widely known and trusted (and expensive) as Adobe are having to rely on insiduous crap like mcafee for kickbacks they have lost it. It's like buying a BMW and getting a free shop at Poundland. Actually, no it isn't because at Poundland there is some useful stuff and the staff don't make you take away things you don't want. It's like buying a BMW but it comes with wooded beaded seat covers. Actually even wooden beaded seat covers are better that this - keep you cool in summer right!!

I know this is a dead thread but I can't find the answer to my problem.

I got McAfee installed just recently and I need it off my PC *now*.

When I go to Add/Remove and go to Uninstall, the McAfee window appears. However, the McAfee window is BLANK and I have no options to choose or even click on. It's just the McAfee borders around a gray window. Looks like McAfee didn't install correctly or something, but now I can't unintall it through normal means.

How can I uninstall McAfee without going through Add/Remove Programs? Running Windows Vista 64 bit.

This is something you expect from tin can software developed by people working out of the garage, not a multi-billion dollar company like Adobe. This decision just helps to kill the already dying Flash plug-in in trade for alternatives like jQuery. In my opinion, Flash should be counted as mal-ware until McAfee is completely and utterly removed as an option.

This problem just gets worse. Had to fix my daughter's PC yesterday because it wouldn't run Windows Backup - the root cause - she had accidentally installed this McAfee garbage by updating Flash. Thanks for wasting my time and putting my daughters files in jeopardy Adobe!